BLUFF CITY — A man is charged with attempted murder in an alleged attack in Bluff City, where he reportedly armed himself with a gun, knife, baton and pipe bomb during a prolonged struggle with numerous people.

Lesley A Cole, 35, is also charged with five counts of aggravated assault in the Thursday afternoon incident, with three of those being against police. An arrest report says that when deputies responded to his home, 1711 Mount Holston Road, he resisted and had to be subdued with several strikes from an officer's ASP. He was transported for a medical evaluation then booked into the Blountville jail.

Police and court records state Cole requested a friend come to his residence because he was upset over an upcoming court date. The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office reports the court appearance is related to a November assault on his 53-year-old mother, whose address is listed as the same Mount Holston Road home. In that incident Cole allegedly pointed a gun at her face before shooting the weapon at the floor.